For The Emperor
by Tanahain
Summary: Sakura was saved from a geisha house at the age of 7, taken in by a kind young man with one eye. He trained her to kill, now her first mission has come. She must enter the palace and assassinate the emperor but she quickly realizes all things are not as they seem. After the illusion of her blind loyalty is broken she will have to decide who she will stand behind. Harem story...


**_Disclaimer_** _ **: I do not own Naruto or it's characters.**_

 _ **I am so happy to be back. I don't think I've posted in like two years but here I am with a new story. I would also just like to say I really do have the intention of becoming an author, so if you have any advice for me and the way I write let me know.**_

 ** _This is Sakucentric with the guys showing her a lot of attention._**

 _ **Thanks so much and enjoy!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: First Mission**_

The summer night was cool and much more forgiving than the last few days, which had been cloudless, hot and humid. The sun promising to scorch the earth with it's unforgiving rays. That night however, promised a fair chance of rain. She sat casually on the edge of the slanted red tiled roof, swinging one leg back and forth over the edge, like a small child lazily swinging. Working on finishing the last of her Onigiri, the well-sized ball of rice from her favorite store in the small town just east of where she lived. They always supplied a good combination of flavors for the centers of the balls. Her visit lead to a fish filling with fermented red peppers. She liked fermented and spicy foods.

She was taking the time to relax after a hard day of training in the hot sun. Though her break is short lived as she has some work to finish, sitting there gave her the chance to check for anything lurking in the darkness. No easy task, as the moon and stars hid themselves behind the rain heavy clouds in the sky. There was no movement, no sound, no rustle of the leaves in the trees, no crickets chirping in the grass. Silence is just as much of an indication as anything else could be; they knew she was there.

After she took the last bite of her meal, she hopped to her feet in one quick motion, balancing on the edge of the roof like an experienced circus performer. She started to stretch before she got too excited; staying still for too long always made her body twitch nervously. Then she took a quick deep breath just before she jumped off the edge. For a few quick seconds she felt nothing but the air as the ground quickly closed the distance between them, more than a considerable drop, she landed with grace and ease.

A quick glance around let her know she was in the garden, a well-maintained combination of rare flowers of various colors, shrubs shaped into different animals, and white and yellow Koy in a small pond a little to the right of her. She clicked her tongue at the sight. _Nobles always have too much to spend on themselves with nothing to give to those who really need it._ She thought.

With those thoughts, she turned to her left, away from the views of the garden and stepped up unto the smooth well-maintained wooden floor, which encased the entire garden in a square. She knew the floor well, as old as the house, it creaked every time someone took a step, an intentional design piece. The house had always been like that, with little tricks hidden in every nook and doorway to alert those in the house of anyone prowling around.

She took off in a silent sprint, not disturbing the wood boards in the slightest. She passed by several doors before she rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of one door in particular. She put her ear to the door to make out any noises inside the room.

Sure of no movement on the other side, she slid the door open, making sure it made no sound. Then she pulled the Wakizashi from the sheath on her hip and without pause, stepped inside, sliding the door shut silently behind her.

It was a large room with shelves lining the walls filled with all manner of books and parchment. To her right sat a desk, papers haphazardly placed along with an ink set and several brushes that lie on its red oak top. To the left of her was another table, many bottles of Sake strewn about, some on their sides, some on the floor.

 _They must be empty._ She assumed.

In the center of the room laid a large bed, too big for a single person. Yet there was a person, she could tell by the slow rise and fall of the blanket.

The quick tingle shooting up her spine, always warned of danger, it was her internal danger detector. _Someone definitely knows I'm here but I'm not feeling any immediate danger. There's no point in turning back now anyway_. She reasoned.

She approached cautiously, knowing things could easily take a turn for the worst if she wasn't careful. Once she reached the bed, without hesitation, she plunged her Wakizashi downward towards the rise and fall of the blankets. However, before her sword found its intended target, the blanket flew towards her like a mad animal trying to fight for its life. She took three quick steps back, slashing the blanket into tiny shreds of fabric with quick fluid strokes of her sword.

Before she could make her next move, she felt the small pointed tip of a needle against her neck. All at once, her mind began to move so fast that she had a hard time keeping up. She was searching for some way out. She knew she had been too hasty in her approach, too careless. Would she now pay for that?

She should have stayed at the door and made them move before taking her first step towards the bed. They were already aware of her; she at least would have been able to act appropriately.

She clicked her tongue, a nervous habit. Ultimately, she knew if she made the slightest move, the person behind her wouldn't hesitate. After all, it is what she would do. Left with little choice, she waited for them to make the next move.

"Drop the sword." The voice in her ear low and slightly lazy, the voice of a man she knew well.

Repeated to her from a young age with passion, never relinquish your weapon! If you did, your death would follow close behind. _What if you are going to die no matter what you do?_ _Of course, it would be better to die fighting; at least then, no one could torture you. Then again, there's an exemption to every rule._ She wondered.

No one could possibly prepare her for every situation. Listening to the voice in her ear, she dropped her weapon, the slight clatter of it hitting the floor the only noise in the room.

"There were several mistakes in that attempt. Shall I point them out to you?"

She did not respond and he let out a soft sweet chuckle as he pulled the needle away from her neck. The action itself being too casual for such a situation, he didn't see her as any kind of threat. He was always the same ever since the first day they met, and she assumed, before that time as well. She couldn't see him being any other way. However, his casual way of handling her always stung a little.

She shook her head. "I already know. I'll make sure to improve for next time." She tried to hide the dejected tone in her voice but she wasn't sure she had done it convincingly.

Still behind her, his large hand came out to gently pat her on the head like someone soothing a small child, an action she loathed. Was he aware of this? Is that why he always did such things? On the other hand, maybe he was oblivious to how these situations made her feel.

"I'm not a child anymore." She said, brushing his hand back with a little more force than necessary, perhaps he would stop then.

Another low chuckle from behind. "No I suppose not."

She spun on her heal to face him, his laughter confirming more of her thoughts than she liked. In a moment when you are truly mad what is the best course of action, violence? Surely not.

Without any thought towards her actions, she stepped forward, grabbing his outstretched arm and flinging him over her shoulder. Her technique, as usual, was perfect. The only problem was he outranked her in every regard.

He did not fight against her throw but as he went past her shoulder, falling towards the bed, he firmly grabbed her arm, sending her down with him before she could counter. In another quick move, he changed their positions so he ended up on top of her, pinning her arms to her sides.

She struggled for a moment before realizing she couldn't escape. Once again, he had outmaneuvered her.

He bent down so their faces were barely two inches apart. His soft scent of pine and honey hitting her like a warm breeze on a hot day, making her thoughts mix into one another, a confusing moment where her mind filled with fog.

"Are you going to behave now?" His voice was oddly distant, sugar filled, as if he were trying to tempt her into something.

She tried to speak, to tell him he had started it by treating her like a child, she wanted to anyway. The words wouldn't come to her lips. After willing herself, something did escape but it was more a moan than any kind of word. She closed her mouth, not daring to try again. Who knows what other sounds might leap from her tongue?

He made no gesture of moving, instead he seemed to be intensely studying her face, as if he were trying to commit her image to memory. The shape of her full pink lips, her small nose and almond shaped jade colored eyes, her slightly round face and soft skin which made her look younger than she really was.

The soft pale light of the moon suddenly gave light where there had been none; the clouds giving up their attempt at total darkness. It was her turn to gaze at him. She could make out the soft gray of his shoulder length hair hanging loosely around his face and those handsome masculine features perfect in every way but the scar across his left eye. The one eye he did have was a soft charcoal and reminded her of a wolf gazing at it's prey.

He was the person who constantly woke her from her sleep and plagued most of her waking thoughts. Someone whom knew nothing of her feelings and someone whom she would never let know the truth, for many more reasons than she cared to think. She was okay with bearing those feelings in silence; she had to be, since she couldn't tell herself otherwise.

He let go of one of her arms, allowing his free hand to simply rest by her face. Finally free, she slowly lifted her hand to gently brush a few strands of grey from his eyes. She wanted to hit him, make him get off of her but lifting her hand was a task in itself, by the time she reached his face the action came off more affectionate than threatening.

He froze, the hand by her head curling into a tight ball, knuckles turning white. Then, all at once, he released her and came to his feet in the same lazy motion that was his norm. Without giving her another glance, he stepped off the bed and headed over to the desk with the ink making kit. He stopped there, placing his hand over something, and then the soft flicker of a candle flame illuminated its surroundings. He picked the candle up, walked across the room to the table lined with Sake bottles and sat down.

She laid there staring up at the ceiling until her mind began to clear and she again had control of her own movements. Once her thoughts had cleared enough for her to think she realized what had happened. He had used the technique responsible for his fame, the odd technique that had no known origin and made people oddly submissive to his whims.

She got up slowly, giving a glare in his direction as she came to her feet and stepped off the bed, picking her sword up from the floor and placing it back into the small sheath on her hip. Then she made her way over to the table, making sure to sit directly across from him in a cross-legged position. Silence descended between the two. She could tell he was weighing something on his mind. She was unhappy with him using his technique on her; but she couldn't distract him from his thoughts.

Finally, he looked at her; there was the briefest sign of something in his eyes, enough to make her forget all that she wanted to say.

"I did call you hear for a reason you know?" He said, his voice quiet and unassuming, with no reflection of his earlier humor.

She shrugged. "How many times have you told me to take the opportunity when I see it? Just as long as we've known one another." She stated, answering her own question.

"Every time I send for you is an opportunity to attack? How so, if I already know you are coming. It makes it easy to prepare for anything you might do. You are making the action itself pointless." He said with the quick raise of an eyebrow.

"No, I don't agree with that." She said with the soft shake of her head. "I have to try to test my skill to the fullest. I have to try all different kinds of scenarios. It's true there will be a portion of people who will know nothing of their fates, but what of the others? The ones who have been warned of my coming? Or the ones who simply know? How else am I going to prepare for such a situation?"

The small smile that appeared on his lips was ominous, whether it be the way the light of the candle flames shadowed half of his face, making him look like some manner of demon, or because of some other reason, she did not know. It was the first time she had seen him with such a smile and the effect of it sent shivers down her spine.

"Well I cannot exactly say having a constant target on my back is easy. Luckily, I am used to it. However, the both of us will soon have a break from these midnight meetings. Your first mission has come."

She strained her back so she could sit up straight. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time. All the years of hard training, the mental and physical exhaustion she has been through would have been enough for anyone to quit. Yet, she had stayed, struggled and cried, become better than she ever thought she could be. The time had finally come for her to prove herself to the rest of the family, to make them admit he had not been mistaken in bringing her there.

While lost in her thoughts, he pulled out a scroll with a red seal on the outside, from nowhere in particular, handing it to her with no inclination toward what it may say. She gingerly took the scroll from his hand and looked it over, immediately noticing the seal had the kind of ink that implies someone of a higher status in life. Not unusual, as most who hired their type were usually in such a category. There was something slightly odd though. The seal was in the shape of a crow's head, the sign of one of the families who served the emperor.

"Is this?" She asked as she looked up at him, a look of clear shock on her face.

He put his hand up to stop her before she managed to speak further. "You recognize the seal, I'm not surprised. I admit I was shocked when they used their own seal to send such a request but I assume it must mean they have become impatient."

"Just what is my mission?" Once again, there was the shiver down her spine.

"You are to infiltrate the palace and kill the emperor." He said with the most casual air about him, as if he were talking of nothing more than picking flowers in the meadow. "That scroll is your mission briefing as well as the necessary papers to get you inside. One of the members of that family will be escorting you to the palace." He finished, pointing to the seal on the scroll.

He reached under the table where something made a twisting clicking sound. He then pulled out a pipe and pouch, along with a book and several pieces of paper. He threw the book and papers in front of her as he opened the pouch, the aromatic scent of tobacco filling her senses briefly. She never liked that smell. He took a few pinches, filled the pipe and closed the bag. He then put his hand over the pipe and before long; the tobacco began to burn. She wrinkled her nose in disgust but otherwise stayed silent. Big rings of smoke floated in the air as he casually puffed on the pipe.

She remained quiet as she tried to wrap her head around the situation. _How could my first mission be to assassinate the emperor? Why would they give me such an important mission? Why not someone with more experience? I'm all for taking on my first mission but the emperor is something else entirely, is he not directly connected to the gods? Not that I believe in anything like that._

"Why isn't someone with more experience getting this mission?" She asked, voicing one of her thoughts aloud.

He tapped his pipe lightly against the table impatiently, though it didn't show in his voice. "Well, why not?"

"Because it's my first mission." She replied, stating the all too obvious.

He sighed. "I will be honest with you. If you cannot do this mission then you are of no use to this family. In a way, this is your last test. In order to become one of us you must kill someone of noble standing. Who better than the emperor himself?" He said as he blew several more rings into the air.

 _So then it was true, the initiation of killing a noble. I thought it was nothing more than a rumor kept alive by the young trainees!_ Now she faced the truth and no choice. The reality of her world was laying itself out before her. Even if she did not want the mission, to deny your first mission was punishable by death.

She shook her head so slightly she was sure he didn't notice, the action convincing her of more than one might think. She had sworn to follow him no matter where he would lead her, such a promise is not easy to keep but she had meant every word spoken from her lips.

"What do I need to know?" With a new resolve, she met his eye.

He leaned back, resting a hand behind him to keep himself upright. "In four months it will be the emperor's twenty-fourth name day. Before then he wishes to pick a bride. He has declared that one eligible woman from every noble house attend the bridal inspection at the palace. You will enter as a potential bride and when the opportunity presents itself you will kill him."

"Any way in particular?" She asked.

"Not really, the client did say he would pay extra for any unnecessary pain caused but I would advise you to just get the job done. Your window of opportunity may not be great and you are more than likely going to be given one real chance. This emperor is no fool, though he may seem like one."

She looked down at the scroll in her hands, then the book and papers in front of her on the table. "And these are?" She asked, pointing to each one in turn.

He nodded. "As I said before the scroll in your hands is your way into the palace and the initial request. I suggest you read the request on your way to the palace; it is a four-day ride from here, so you will have plenty of time. Burn it afterwards." He set the pipe down, the tobacco already having lost its taste. "The papers I forged say you are from a lesser-known family from a particularly mountainous region. The family received an invitation but they lost both of their children during the last Great War. I paid them a fair sum and gave a promise, should they be called upon, they will stand beside you as father and mother."

"What about the book? I should also state that my understanding of the proper etiquette of a noble lady is lacking." Of course, he already knew that.

"Funny you should say such a thing, as the book is exactly that, an extensive working of what a woman of the court should and should not do. Written by me for you, I made sure to keep it simple." His mischievous wink hadn't been lost on her.

"Gee thanks…" She said, rolling her eyes enough for him to notice.

"You are quick to learn. I would not send you if I doubted you in the slightest."

She shrugged, not quite believing his words. He did not usually lie to her but she could feel there was something he was not telling her. The urge to ask him almost broke through but she managed to avoid it. She already knew he wouldn't tell her, she just had to trust him and hope there was a good reason for his secrecy.

"Another thing…" His voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Gaara, enter."

The door immediately slid open and in stepped a young man who had yet to shed all of his boyish qualities. His auburn hair pulled back into a tight bun atop his head, which helped keep the focus on his turquoise colored eyes. However, the most striking feature of the young man was the dark circles just beneath his eyes that gave the look of someone who had not slept in years. He was undoubtedly handsome, just uniquely so.

This was not their first meeting; they had trained together quite a few times. On their very first meeting he had refused to talk to her, it was only after time and effort on her part that he would even greet her.

"Gaara will go as your personal guard and servant. The two of you will work together on this mission."

Gaara bowed but did not say a word. She rolled her eyes. _Great, as talkative as ever._ She thought.

She a raised her hand, making it look like she was in the middle of a classroom. "I would just like to point out that I don't exactly look like a lady of noble birth."

No one could deny that, while she possessed a beauty unique to her, it paled in comparison to the beauty and grace of someone who suffered through life to be that way. There was also the matter of the countless scars covering her body from her years of training. Noble women were famous for their silky smooth skin; her skin was smooth just not that smooth. Then there was the matter of their hair, well cared for and long. Her hair did not come close. Years ago, she had cut it just to have it out of her way and never thought about growing it long again.

"Yet another thing I have already taken care of. You will leave at first light; before that we will transform you into a beautiful young woman." He said with a small wave of his hand.

Not sure but she swore she heard a snicker from behind her. Such a thing did not seem possible when she knew who was behind her.

"I guess I'll just have to trust you then." She said with a smile.

"Don't you always?"

Yes, she did. Always and forever, since their first meeting, he knew that. The only problem was the continued tingling in her spine, something was telling her to be careful from this point on.

"Since everything has been settled you should go wash up, a bath has already been prepared for you. Gaara will take you there now." He said as he waved, dismissing the both of them.

She bowed, came to her feet, leaving the scroll, pieces of paper and book on the table. She turned to face Gaara who met her eyes with little difference. She wanted to say more but she knew no one was would listen. She just hoped there would be a chance before she left.

Gaara stepped back outside the door and started down the open hall without so mush as a glance to see if she were following. She stepped out after him, noticing the soft light of the moon and stars as she slid the door shut behind her. Once again taking note of just how quiet the night was, before heading after Gaara down the hall.

They walked in silence, neither one of their footsteps were heard on the floorboards as they made their way down the outside hall. He lead the way until there was no more hallway and they had to step down into the yard, walk across the well maintained grass, over an arching bridge with a separate wooden building on the other side.

It was significantly smaller than the main house. A new feature to the estate, the bathhouse, held seven wooden tubs for washing, each separated by a large Fusuma panel. The head of the family had insisted on this feature to keep the decency of those bathing, and men and women could not bathe at the same time. There were usually two guards outside who always made sure of this but they were nowhere in sight on that night.

"You are the third Fusuma on the right. The bath should still be hot. When you are done you need to return to his room." With those words, Gaara turned away from her and headed back over the bridge.

 _I just love how social that person is._ She huffed as she watched his retreating back.

When he was nothing more than a small speck he turned back to catch her eye, the light turquoise of his own eyes shining despite the distance, looking like two cat's eyes glowing in the dark. It happened so suddenly she had to take a step back, for a moment; it seemed as if he could see her clearly. She turned away and went inside the bathhouse.

When she entered, the scent had been so strong the urge to purge all of those Onigiri from her stomach almost overwhelmed her. She took a minute to make sure that's not what she was going to do, before she dropped her clothes to the floor and stepped into the third Fusuma on the right. Where a hot bath with various flowers and oils meant to make her smell good was waiting.

After a few minutes, the door opened and in stepped two women who helped around the estate. She turned in an instant covering her chest with one arm, even though there was little chance of them seeing anything due to the milky color of the water.

"We are here to assist you miss." Said the older of the two women, a woman who had served the estate longer than anyone had, the rumor being she kept many secrets. She was short and overweight; her features wrinkled by time with little sign of her ever being pretty.

She tilted her head to one side. "With what exactly?" She asked, trying to hide the unease in her voice.

The younger of the two raised an eyebrow. "With helping you bathe of course. No proper lady would do it themselves."

 _Hell no,_ her first immediate thought and what nearly slipped from her tongue. _Am I really going to have people help me bathe from now on? Who freaking needs help bathing themselves?_

The two women shared a glance that confirmed something between them; they were suddenly moving to help her before she could respond. The older woman began combing out her hair, much more of an ordeal than it should be. She had short hair but it was a mess of leaves and tangles from intense training and general lack of care. It took all of the older woman's patience not to chop everything off after several attempts at detangling the mess.

The younger woman set down a bundle she held in her arms and walked over to the only table in the room where a bowl waited for her. She picked the bowl up and walked over to the tub where she began treating Sakura's face with a mixture of goat's milk, honey and a concoction of herbs. Her skin was healthy but not enough to pass inspection by the young woman. "It needs to be more "lady-like," more refined." She said.

She just rolled her eyes and tried to object as the two women went about their business, making no indication that either could hear her words. She finally had to lay back and go along with the torturous process of becoming a "proper lady."

By the time they were finished it was almost dawn, the sky was dark and foreboding, the clouds had returned and the first few drops of rain began to fall. She stepped out of the bathhouse looking nothing close to the hard-trained girl she was. Her skin appeared soft and supple from the bath and face mask, the two women also managed to cover most of the scars on her body with a soft white powder of some kind. Then they helped her dress in the finest silks and covered her short pink hair with a brown wig of flowing wavy tresses.

A raindrop fell to hit her cheek and she looked up. "Stupid girl! Don't waste our efforts by standing out in the rain!" Said the older woman as she smacked the back of her head, she now knew this woman as Lady Chiyo. "Hurry along to the main house!" Lady Chiyo hissed through her teeth.

Holding the back of her head and giving the older woman a quick look of contempt, she began making her way back to the main house with hurried steps, mostly to get out of sight of Lady Chiyo. When she made it to his room, the rain was coming down heavily; it seemed as if the rain was trying to drown the world around her.

She gently knocked on the door instead of just letting herself in as she had done a few hours before. On any normal day she knew to be polite, simply entering his room wouldn't be tolerated by anyone else.

"Enter." His familiar lazy voice said from the other side of the door.

She slid the door open and stepped inside clumsily, still trying to figure out how anyone could walk in a kimono. _These things are freaking annoying!_ She thought as she shut the door behind her with one hand, while picking up the hem of her kimono with the other.

He was still sitting at the same table she had left him at, holding a scroll in his hand. He had a serious expression on his face until he looked up at her, only really noticing her then. For a brief moment, shock touched his eye.

"I see Lady Chiyo and Shizune did their job well." He said with a little too much amusement for her to take his comment as a compliment. "Sit, I will be back in a moment." He gestured for her to sit in the same spot she had occupied earlier, as he set down the scroll and came to his feet, then turned away from her and headed to the other side of the room past the bed where a large brown chest waited.

She followed his instructions and took the same seat, she cursed under her breath at the awkward way she needed to sit thanks to the kimono. _I know I have to get used to this but this is just ridiculous._ She took a deep breath trying to calm her growing annoyance. _It's fine, I just have to get used to it and remember it won't be forever._

While lost in her thoughts he returned with a small wooden box in his hands. He sat down beside her instead of taking his normal seat. He set the box on the table and opened it, revealing inside several different brushes, powders, multi colored rouges, and a comb.

"Turn towards me." He instructed as he took out the brushes and powders.

She did as he told her, turning to face him with a nervous pull in her stomach. He put the brush to powder, and then began meticulously working on her face like a man painting a masterpiece. He was talented in many things but never did she think he could do the makeup of a court woman.

She had already scrubbed away a year's worth of dirt and grime from her body in the hot bath.

Now she sat back in his room just around the corner of the garden, getting for only the second time in her life, her makeup done. She had to resist the urge to peek at him through the half lids of her eyes; the only thing stopping her was the possibility of him catching her gaze.

"You are better dressed in softer tones. You do not need much to make you beautiful." He said, breaking the silence between them with the casual ease of one whom does not get embarrassed easily.

She opened her eyes, causing him to stop mid stroke, his left hand resting gently under her chin, while his right held a brush dusted in powder. He made no effort to remove his hand from her chin as they stared at one another.

The nervous twinge in her stomach was getting worse and in her chest, a painfully tight pinch had started. The urge to tell him all that she wished was almost impossible to resist.

"Kakashi… I…" Before she could finish her words, he dropped the brush, putting his finger softly against her lips to silence her.

"I know the words you wish to speak. However, I cannot let you utter them. You have chosen a dangerous life and from this moment on you must commit to it. Yet, should you return from this mission, I wish to tell you the thoughts and feelings I have hidden for so long." His words were genuine and there was no lie hidden beneath the sweetness of his gaze.

Yet his words only made the sinking feeling in her stomach and the stabbing in her heart more unbearable. Her breathing became shallow. She wanted so badly for him to listen to her for a moment but he wouldn't even do that. She wished his promise of revealing his thoughts and feelings would ease what she felt but it didn't.

"I might not return." She said, not bothering to hide the bitterness of her words.

He cupped her face in both of his hands, the effort of being gentle almost losing to the thoughts threatening to overwhelm him. He was someone who had always been good at keeping his emotions in check; he couldn't understand how she had such a strong effect on him. She was the only one who had ever made him feel anything for someone else. Everyone was expendable, except for her.

"Do not say such a thing. When you say something like that I do not know what to do with myself." His words were pain stricken, as if she had severely wounded him just with those four words.

Without waiting for any response from her, he leaned in and ever so lightly pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were soft and supple, causing him to almost lose himself completely in the action. Before she could react, he pulled away. Short, barely a kiss at all but it was enough for her. In it, he had left a promise, something more than words themselves could convey, his acknowledgement of not only his feelings, but of hers as well.

"This is all I can give you in this moment, please do not ask for more. Return to me once you have become one of us and I promise I will no longer hold back."

All she could manage was a nod, too shocked by his actions to find the words to respond. She felt foolish for whatever doubt had been tainting her mind. He may not show his feelings as she would like but that didn't make them any less real.

He released his hands from her face and went back to perfecting her makeup. She sat quietly from then on, reflecting on her thoughts and actions, and the subtle change between them. She knew, from that moment on their relationship would be different. The rest of their time went by in silence.

* * *

She slid the door open and stepped out; the morning sunrise greeted her warmly. The mountain air was refreshing and cleansed thanks to the rain, the morning dew hanging in the air long enough to be noticed. She felt alive and ready for anything, like she could take on the world if she had to. She looked every bit the noble woman she was supposed to be. Dressed in an elegant green kimono with golden flowers blossoming from the branch of a cherry tree paired with the soft brown wig on her head and the delicate art of her makeup, it all gave her the look of nobility. All she would have to do was play the part well.

There was just one problem, she felt completely ridiculous. Her clothing was so tight she could only manage to take short sharp breaths, the wig on her head was too long for her, and she kept catching it every time she closed a door. The makeup, though it was lighter than was usually applied it felt heavy on her face.

Despite her dislike of the façade, she would not deny the necessity of it. After all, she was trying to enter the royal palace, no easy task, she was lucky there had even been such an opportunity laid before her.

The soft creak of the floorboards distracted her from her thoughts. She looked up to meet the dark gaze of a man she had never seen before. He stood only a few steps away, and it surprised her how he had managed to get so close without her noticing him. He was dressed in the fine clothes of a noble and the air around him said as much.

"I'm here to see Kakashi, is he in?" He asked her, his voice was low and melodic. She assumed he left quite the impression on anyone he met.

She opened her mouth to respond but before she could the door behind her slid open and out stepped Kakashi.

"Indeed I am, please come in Itachi." He said, motioning for the other man to enter. "Sakura, why don't go finish getting ready to leave."

She knew he was telling her the conversation they were about to have was not for her to hear. Therefore, she simply bowed and watched as the two men went into the room, with Itachi giving her one last glance before shutting the door. She stayed like that until the door shut, then she made her way down the hall towards her room.

* * *

Her room was located on the outskirts of the estate grounds, just on the edge of the forest, set at the base of the mountain. It was actually closer to a small house than a room, with a kitchen, small living area and a place to sleep. It wasn't much compared to anywhere else on the estate but it was enough for her.

She entered her room for what felt like the last time. Somehow she knew when she came back something would be different, Kakashi had promised that much. She looked around, trying to commit the place to memory; it's Irori in the center of the room, the place she slept a little off to the side, and the small desk in the corner. The room was small and quaint but for a long time it had belonged to her.

She took off her wooden sandals before stepping over to the desk in the corner where the few things she actually owned laid. She sat down at the desk and picked up a finely woven straw necklace. Memories of a dying mother and a father who had never wanted her flooded her mind. She let out a sharp breath as tears threatened her eyes, she would have let them fall if not for her newly done makeup. Memories had a way of sneaking up on her, just when she thought she had forgotten, they returned to remind her that they would never truly be gone.

She grabbed a small bag from the desk placed the necklace and a rusted coin inside, then she came to her feet, walked back to put her sandals on and left the room. Little did she know her feelings of never again returning to that small house on the edge of the forest were more than justified.

* * *

 _ **I have been working on this story for the last three weeks. I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next chapter.**_

 ** _Meanings to some words:_**

 ** _Fusuma: Sliding panels that act as doors and walls._**

 ** _Irori: A Japanese sunken hearth that is used to heat a room and cook food._**

 ** _Wakizashi: A smaller version of a Samurai sword._**

 ** _Onigiri: Rice balls._**


End file.
